EMC To Acquire UK Solution Provider

The acquisition follows a series of four acquisitions of US-based Microsoft solution providers over the past couple years.

EMC, of Hopkinton, Mass., said it plans to pay about $84 million for Conchango, a London-based technology consulting firm specializing in the design, development, and delivery of custom applications. Conchango is a gold certified partner of Microsoft, Redmond, Wash., and has over 300 employees.

After the acquisition closes, Conchango is expected to become the foundation of EMC's European Microsoft consulting practice under the vendor's consulting and solutions integration services organization, an EMC spokesperson said. That practice will be led by Mike Altendorf and Richard Thwaite, Conchango's co-founders and joint managing directors.

The acquisition should help enhance EMC's ability to consult with customers in the UK and across Europe, the EMC spokesperson said.

Last August, EMC acquired BusinessEdge Solutions, a privately held business and technology consulting firm based in East Brunswick, N.J.

In the prior month, EMC acquired Geniant, a Dallas-based Microsoft solution provider with offices in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas City.

In January 2006, the company acquired Internosis, a 300-man Greenbelt, Md.-based Microsoft solution provider.

It followed that with an acquisition in the following May of Interlink Group, an Englewood, Colo.-based Microsoft solution provider.

Conchango brings EMC a built-in customer base which includes such companies as Tesco, Virgin Atlantic, and SKY.